--- title: LeBron James Dressed As Prince, Sang 'Purple Rain' description: LeBron James transformed himself into Prince on Saturday and it was amazing. canonical: https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-01T20:11:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:26:30.155Z og:title: LeBron James Dressed Up as Prince and Sang 'Purple Rain' og:description: The King went as Prince og:url: https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: LeBron James Dressed Up as Prince and Sang 'Purple Rain' twitter:description: The King went as Prince twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch LeBron James Sing 'Purple Rain' While Dressed As Prince > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6efee6c9-831b-42fb-a8b0-3fc65543c296&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6efee6c9-831b-42fb-a8b0-3fc65543c296&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=6efee6c9-831b-42fb-a8b0-3fc65543c296&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 1, 2015 8:11 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 1, 2015 8:11 PM UTC [No stranger to excelling at Halloween costumes](https://www.facebook.com/LeBron/photos/a.146568808943.115160.64637653943/10152832362708944/), LeBron James transformed himself into Prince on Saturday and it was amazing. The 30-year-old NBA player donned the royal purple outfit for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ basketball party, where he got up to belt out some of Prince’s greatest hits, including “Purple Rain.” Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving, a few of James’s teammates, even joined him on stage as backup dancers, although they weren’t dressed as The Revolution. The performance was shared on Instagram. As an added bonus, LeBron chose a Prince outfit that looks incredibly similar to the one Dave Chappelle wore during his infamous “[Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miZxYjqqjZM)” skit about the singer. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/"},"headline":"Watch LeBron James Sing 'Purple Rain' While Dressed As Prince","datePublished":"2015-11-01T20:11:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:26:30.155Z","description":"The King went as Prince","url":"https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Athletes","celebrities","Music","Lebron James","Prince","costumes","halloween","Halloween costumes"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4095828/lebron-james-purple-rain-prince/","name":"Watch LeBron James Sing 'Purple Rain' While Dressed As Prince"}}]}] ```